Special Lot From: Hunan Province

Organic Imperial Yellow

Sale price$17.854.9
Just $0.44/serving
Weight: 2 oz Canister
certified organic and fair trade - logo marks

About Our Organic Imperial Yellow

Yellow teas are relatively rare in the West, which is a shame because they can be absolutely delicious. Their genius lies in a time-consuming process where green tea leaves are sealed in paper or cloth for several days — called sealed yellowing (闷黄). Cell walls grow more porous during that time, and the result is something that doesn't quite fit any other category: less grassy than a green, lighter than a black, mellow and sweet in a way that's hard to get any other way.

This tea brews crystal clear, sweet and mellow, with charming notes of apple — a bit like a Darjeeling, and just as truly fabulous.

It's a Hunan Special Lot and we don't always have it. When we do, people tend to buy more than one tin. Gordon called it "the finest tea I have enjoyed in the last 60 years." He bought the sampler, and told everyone not to miss it. We agree.

Brewing Guidelines for Organic Imperial Yellow

3:30 MIN

200 F

2.5 TSP - 2.5G PER 8 OZ CUP

Brewing Guidelines are for one 8 oz. cup.

The best way to brew your tea is the way you like - don't let anyone tell you different. Our guidelines are configured for making your tea a cup at a time - maybe with our stainless tea filter. If making by the pot, maintain temperature and time but try with slightly less tea than the math would suggest.

Serving calculation assumes re-steeping your leaves once. After all, these are teas so nice, you'll steep them twice.

For more brewing instructions, read our brewing guidelines.

Customer Reviews for Organic Imperial Yellow

Why Our Tea Is Organic

Tea is among the most heavily treated crops in conventional agriculture. When you steep tea leaves in hot water, you’re making an extraction—and that extraction doesn’t discriminate between flavor compounds and pesticide residues.Every tea we sell meets certified organic standards. Our teas are certified organic by the USDA and MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association), a leading independent organic certifier. This means no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and annual third-party inspections to verify it.We source from worker-owned cooperatives in rural, mountainous regions of China, where traditional growing methods align naturally with organic standards. These aren’t industrial plantations; they’re small farms where people have been growing tea the same way for generations.Healthier soil produces better tea. Plants grown without synthetic chemical inputs develop more complex flavor profiles. You can taste the difference.